Why the Sea Fury's maintainability mattered at sea

Would the Spiteful or Seafang have been better than the Sea Fury for naval operations?

Better paper performance did not outweigh the Sea Fury's maintenance, damage-tolerance, and availability advantages within a carrier's limited air group.

The Sea Fury's radial engine offered advantages in damage tolerance and maintenance, while an inline engine's cooling system added vulnerability and servicing demands. Better performance figures alone therefore did not establish which fighter would serve a carrier best. The Sea Fury's operating hours and ease of maintenance are the reasons given for preferring it to the Spiteful or Seafang. A carrier's limited aircraft capacity made that availability particularly valuable: a squadron could not simply embark several extra aircraft to compensate for a type that spent longer under maintenance.